Vehicles having a high center of gravity and a soft suspension, such as SUVs (sport utility vehicles) or vehicles designed to be suitable for both offroad and onroad purposes, may lose stability with respect to turning about a vehicle axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle during driving maneuvers such as lane change, circular driving or cornering at increasing steering angle. This is particularly the case if the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle can vary a great deal, as, for example, when driving with and without a roof load, or in the case of a vehicle having a level control system. The standard measures of a vehicle dynamics control system such as ESP are not able to prevent this in all cases, since they regulate primarily the transverse dynamics with respect to rotation about the vertical axis of the vehicle.
German Published Patent Application No. 199 07 633 refers, in its introduction, to a method for stabilizing a vehicle, and for avoiding the rollover of a vehicle about a vehicle axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in which a variable is ascertained that describes the transverse dynamics of the vehicle. This variable is compared to at least one characteristic value, such as a threshold value for this variable. In the case where the variable describing the transverse dynamics is greater than, or equal to the characteristic value, the speed of the vehicle is reduced to a specifiable speed value or held to a specifiable speed value, at least by brake applications at at least one wheel and/or by engine and/or retarder interventions.
German Published Patent Application No. 197 51 891 refers to another method and device for stabilizing a vehicle when there is a rollover tendency in which at at least one wheel, a variable quantitatively describing the performance characteristics of the respective wheel is ascertained. At least as a function of the variable ascertained for the at least one wheel, which quantitatively describes the performance characteristics of that wheel, it is determined whether there exists a tendency to rollover for the vehicle about a vehicle axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. If a rollover tendency exists, stabilizing brake applications are carried out at least at at least one wheel of the vehicle.
German Published Patent Application No. 198 44 912 refers to a device and method for influencing the propulsion of a vehicle in which the device has a first arrangement, via which a transverse acceleration variable is recorded describing the transverse acceleration acting on the vehicle. The device also includes a second arrangement by which a variable that describes the behavior over time of the transverse acceleration variable is ascertained. The device also includes a third arrangement via which an intervention variable is ascertained as a function of the transverse acceleration variable and the variable which describes the behavior over time of the transverse acceleration variable. The device also includes fourth arrangement by which engine interventions for influencing propulsion are conducted, the engine interventions being undertaken as a function of the intervention variable.